How to use MacWhisper: transcribe a file, export it, and dictate

By Ryleigh Newman · Published October 9, 2026

To use MacWhisper, drag an audio or video file onto its window, let it transcribe on your Mac, and export the text or subtitles. The free version already does this with local models. Dictation into other apps is a separate feature you switch on from the home screen, and only the version sold on macwhisper.com has it.

I make YapToText, a dictation app that also transcribes files, so I am a rival. The steps here are from MacWhisper's own help center, read on October 9, 2026, not from my own use.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

Steps

1. Download MacWhisper from macwhisper.com through Gumroad.
2. Drag an audio or video file onto its window.
3. Pick a WhisperKit model on an Apple silicon Mac.
4. Export the text or subtitles.

Install the right version

• From macwhisper.com. Purchases and downloads go through its Gumroad page. Its site warns that scam websites pretend to be MacWhisper and may carry malware, and says to install only from the link Gumroad sends.
• From the App Store. The App Store edition is called Whisper Transcription. It shares the core features but cannot dictate into other apps.

If you want dictation into other apps, you need the macwhisper.com version, not the App Store one.

Transcribe a file

• Open it. Drag a file onto MacWhisper, or use Open File. It takes MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, OPUS, MOV and MP4.
• Pick a model. Its help center recommends WhisperKit models on Apple silicon, with Turbo a good choice for many Macs. WhisperKit does not run on Intel Macs.
• Wait for the first load. A new model needs a one-time preparation that can take a few minutes for larger models.
• Edit and search. Command F searches, Command Shift F finds and replaces, and Space plays the audio.
• Export. Plain text and .srt or .vtt subtitles are free. More formats are Pro.

Set up dictation

• Turn it on. Click Dictation on the home screen, which also walks you through setup, or go to Settings, Dictation.
• Choose a shortcut. You set the keyboard shortcut in settings, then press it in any text field.
• AI cleanup is extra. Its help center says AI dictation prompts need a MacWhisper Pro license and your own AI provider key, which is separate from a chat subscription.

What needs Pro

• Many files at once. Batch transcription, with several export formats in one go.
• Links and meetings. YouTube links, podcasts and meeting recording.
• Speakers. Speaker recognition, with WhisperKit models or some cloud providers.
• Automation. Watch folders that transcribe new files automatically, and a command-line tool.

Pro is a one-time €64 on macwhisper.com. The MacWhisper pricing page covers Free and Pro in full.

Doing the same in YapToText

YapToText covers the dictation part and plain file transcription, free.

• Dictation. Tap Right Command in any app, with cleanup by a model on the Mac included, and no key to set up.
• Files. Drop an audio or video file on the Utility page for plain text.
• What it does not do. No subtitles, speaker labels, batches, YouTube links or meeting recording. MacWhisper is the better tool for those.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

The MacWhisper alternative page compares the two, and the MacWhisper privacy page covers what stays on your Mac.

The short version

• Install. From macwhisper.com through Gumroad, or Whisper Transcription from the App Store.
• Transcribe. Drag a file in, pick a WhisperKit model on Apple silicon, and export.
• Dictate. Turn on Dictation from the home screen, website version only.
• Pro. Batches, speakers, links, meetings and automation for €64 once.

If MacWhisper's steps have changed, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.

This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Related

• MacWhisper guides: every page on this site about MacWhisper, by topic
• MacWhisper languages: what it transcribes, how it translates, and its limits with mixed audio
• The best MacWhisper model for your Mac: WhisperKit and Turbo on Apple silicon, cloud on Intel
• MacWhisper Find and Replace: correct the same mistake in every transcript, and guide Whisper with a prompt
• MacWhisper batch transcription: a folder of recordings in one run, and how to make it faster
• MacWhisper dictation: how to turn it on, add AI prompts, and fix apps where it does nothing
• MacWhisper keyboard shortcuts: the full list, and how to set the dictation key
• MacWhisper watch folders and batch transcription: transcribe files without opening each one
• Record meetings with MacWhisper: setup, supported apps, and what the beta cannot do yet
• The MacWhisper CLI: install mw, transcribe from Terminal, and every flag

Sources

• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/14-how-to-use-the-dictation-feature (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/19-batch-transcription (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/28-keyboard-shortcuts (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/29-switching-to-a-whisperkit-model (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/40-macwhisper-whisper-transcription-difference (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/51-how-to-transcribe-youtube-videos (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://docs.macwhisper.com/article/35-automatically-transcribing-files-in-watch-folders (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://www.macwhisper.com (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-09)
• https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-09)

Questions